A Little Walk With God

A daily devotional through the Bible narrated as if walking through the garden east of Eden with God. Scriptures come from a daily reading plan that take you through the Bible in one year, generally coming from The Voice. Our website is http://alittlewalkwithgod.com or http://richardagee.com

A daily devotional through the recorded words Jesus spoke while He walked alongside us. Our website http://alittlewalkwithgod.com.

Today's Scripture Focus

Luke 11:2-4

devotional summary

So there we have it. A simple pattern to follow in prayer. Acknowledge who God is. Ask what He wants done. Ask for help with your concerns and needs. Ask for His forgiveness for any wrongs. Ask for protection. How much time do you spend in each of those five sections Jesus introduced? It’s up to you. Jesus gave His disciples a very short example and sometimes you may have only a few minutes to share with your Father in heaven. Sometimes you might have a lot to talk about in one or more sections. Sometimes you might even spend hours discussing with God who He is to you and why He matters so much in your life. Maybe He overwhelms you in that very first section of your prayer and you just spend your whole devotion time stuck there sometimes.

Maybe you find some problems overwhelming your life some days and those “give us what we need for tomorrow” words remind you God will help you through those troubles, but you need to spend some time there for His assurance and to help settle your mind in the middle of the crisis you’re facing.

Maybe you’re facing some terrible temptations that are bringing you to the verge of falling and you need His strength to help you find a way out. You need God to give you a flashing exit sign. You just can’t seem to see the doors quick enough and need something to help you find your way out. You need His protection and seek it with all your heart.

A simple but powerful pattern Jesus gave us. Now go out and use it to touch the throne room of heaven as you pray today.

Today's Bible reading plan:

A daily devotional through the recorded words Jesus spoke while He walked alongside us. Our website http://alittlewalkwithgod.com.

Today's Scripture Focus

Luke 10:41-42

devotional summary

I’m trying to leave room in my calendar for God to work. I try to remember that everything is secondary to His schedule. Like the Good Samaritan that disrupted his plans and spent at least a day and a night tending to a stranger injured on the road, I want to be ready to give up my schedule to the best God has instead of the good I might have planned.

So what about you? Have you let your life get so cluttered with details that you don’t have time to let God intervene with His schedule? Have you planned every moment and hold on to those moments with such tenacity that God can’t get in no matter how hard He tries? That’s what Martha did and she was scolded when she tried to get Mary to stop listening to Jesus and help her with all those preparations.

Sometimes we just need to remember God cares more about our relationship with Him than He does the glitter and glamor and ritual and preparation we seem to do to get ready to meet Him. He just wants us to sit at His feet and listen. Don’t let all the other stuff become distractors from listening to His voice. Even when we do good things we can sacrifice the best if we’re not careful. So how do we know we are doing the best and not just the good?

Stay in His word. Pray often. Listen for His spirit’s prompting and then obey that still small voice that speaks to you. Become sensitive to His voice and obey when you hear Him call. Don’t let anything become more important than His words in your ear. When you listen to Him and obey His call, you won’t be sorry. You’ll discover incredible truth and do incredible things in His name.

Today's Bible reading plan:

A daily devotional through the recorded words Jesus spoke while He walked alongside us. Our website http://alittlewalkwithgod.com.

Today's Scripture Focus

Luke 10:30-37

devotional summary

We have some great arguments with ourselves to keep from doing the right thing for people. I’m not saying we should give money to every homeless person on the street. I believe it is better to teach a person to fish than to give them a fish and that gets hard when we live in a society that loves to focus on giving material things instead of getting our hands dirty really helping people solve the real issues in their lives.

Is it hard? Absolutely. Does it take time and effort? More than you can imagine. Just look at what the Samaritan did. It would have taken him 30 seconds to pass by the bruised and broken man. The Bible doesn’t tell us how long he spent with the man, but I’ve tended to some folks who were broken up pretty badly and helped get them ready for transport to a hospital for better care. Just to get them ready to transport so they don’t receive further injuries while moving means you have to assess the injuries and see what must be fixed immediately to keep them from dying. You have to make sure they have a clear airway. You have to stop the bleeding. You must gently stabilize broken bones. You must find a way to move them since they can’t move under their own power. And that movement has to be such that they don’t sustain more injuries. The Samaritan did all those things knowing the bandits who did this might still be in the area. Then took the man to an inn, cared for him through the night, and paid the bill for the innkeeper to care for him until he was well enough to leave.

Was the Samaritan just looking for something to do? I don’t think so. I expect there were people at the end of his journey worried that night when he didn’t show up. I expect he lost some business that day because he helped someone in need.

Today's Bible reading plan:

A daily devotional through the recorded words Jesus spoke while He walked alongside us. Our website http://alittlewalkwithgod.com.

Today's Scripture Focus

Luke 10:26-28

devotional summary

If we love God, we will do nothing that would cause Him harm or pain or displeasure. We would obey Him in every respect. We would worship Him for who He is and give Him our whole self to do with us whatever He chooses. We would never say no to one of His instructions to us if we really love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

And what about loving our neighbor? Wouldn’t we do everything we could to advance our neighbor if we loved him? Wouldn’t we always say kind words about him? Wouldn’t we help whenever we could? Wouldn’t we be a listening ear and a helping hand when she needed one? Wouldn’t we be the very best friend we could be if we really loved our neighbor with God’s unconditional love? Wouldn’t we share the story of God’s salvation to our neighbor is our neighbor isn’t a Christian so that he would know God’s grace and saving mercy so that he would not find himself facing judgment without hope? If we really loved our neighbor wouldn’t we do everything we could to introduce her to the Savior so she could know the peace and joy that comes from serving Him?

Isn’t that what love is all about? Isn’t love about giving it away and not about trying to get it from others? At least that’s what Jesus seemed to teach us about God’s love. Yep, the words of the song are right when you talk about the right kind of unconditional agape love that God can put in our hearts. All you need is love. Love is all you need. Sometimes it’s a little hard to find these days, but you can share it. You can plant the seeds of God’s love around you and who knows, you might grow a bumper crop in the neighborhood where you live. Give it a try. It certainly won’t hurt anyone to love them. And it might make a huge difference in their eternity.

Today's Bible reading plan:

A daily devotional through the recorded words Jesus spoke while He walked alongside us. Our website http://alittlewalkwithgod.com.

Today's Scripture Focus

Luke 10:21-24

devotional summary

If you listen to children, they will also tell you some pretty incredible things about God. They will tell you about His love and about trust and grace and forgiveness. They will show you many of His characteristics before we teach them how to cover up the better qualities He help them display as children. We can learn to laugh from them. We can learn to cry from children. We can learn to care about other people. We can even love them for no reason except they are people.

God hides His mysteries from the wise and intellectuals and reveals them to little children. Be careful that you don’t discard those children next door or down the street or in your house. God might be wanting to teach you His mysteries through them. If you think you are wise, you can bet He won’t entrust His wisdom to you. So keep your eyes on those kids out there. You might just learn something about the wisdom of the heaven from them.

Today's Bible reading plan:

A daily devotional through the recorded words Jesus spoke while He walked alongside us. Our website http://alittlewalkwithgod.com.

Today's Scripture Focus

Luke 10:18-20

devotional summary

Because Jesus came and lived with us, died for us, and rose from the dead, we can be forgiven. We can be assured He has power over sin and death and the grave. We can know that when He forgives our sins and casts them as far as the east is from the west, never to be remembered against us again, our sins really are forgiven. He really does bring us into His kingdom as His children. He adopts us into His family and gives us so much more than we deserve.

We deserve death as the penalty for our disobedience. We deserve eternal separation from God since we acted as His enemies. But instead He gives us opportunities to find repentance and forgiveness. He gives us the opportunity to find acceptance in His love and grace. He lets us make the choice to worship Him and make Him our God and Lord of life. He give us the opportunity to right the wrongs we have committed against Him and He makes us new. He transforms us into the person He created us to be in the first place.

We can still marvel at the miracles He performs for us and around us. We can still be awed by the wonder we see in this world as we see His handiwork in creation and in His answers to prayer on our behalf. But spend some time thinking about the real miracle that takes place when His Spirit comes to us and convicts us of our sin and draws us to Him. Then the miracle that continues when we seek Him with a repentant heart and ask for His forgiveness. And the even greater miracle that comes when in His mercy He forgives us and wipes away our sins. And the incredible miracle that occurs when He writes our name in His book of life that allows us to know we will join Him in heaven through all eternity when this present age comes to a close.

What a God we serve, that He would allow us to join Him for eternity just for the asking. Now that is a miracle to behold.

Today's Bible reading plan:

A daily devotional through the recorded words Jesus spoke while He walked alongside us. Our website http://alittlewalkwithgod.com.

Today's Scripture Focus

Luke 10:10-16

devotional summary

There is a passage in Ezekiel Chapter 3 that I’m often reminded of when I’m prompted by God to speak to someone. God is speaking to Ezekiel and says, “If I send this message to a wicked person—“You will die”—but then you fail to warn him or help him to reconsider his wickedness so that he may not die, then he will die as a result of his evil deeds. It will be your fault for not warning him. His blood will be on your hands. But if you do forewarn a wicked person and give him My message, and yet he does not change his wicked thoughts and actions, then he will die as a result of his evil deeds. But you will have saved your own life by doing what I directed.”

At the judgment, I don’t want to stand before God with anyone else’s blood on my hands. I want to make it to heaven and I want to bring others with me. I want to give those around me an opportunity to meet the One who can restore them to a right relationship with God just as He did for me. I want to let others know they do not have to bow down to the tyranny of sin, but can be freed by the powerful blood shed for them on the cross one day long ago on the hill called Golgotha. I want them to know they can have the same testimony I have and millions of others have had throughout the ages. Jesus saves me from my sins. He set me free through His shed blood. He lives today in my soul. He is the Lord of my life.

I can’t make the decision whether you will accept my words as true. I can’t make the decision whether you will ask Jesus to forgive you of your past. I can’t decide for you if Jesus will be the Lord of your life and your reason for living. I wish I could. But it’s not a decision I can make. Each of us must decide for ourselves. We must come to the conclusion personally that we want Jesus to reign in our life and them let Him do so. No one can do that for you except you. But it is a decision you will never regret if you decide to let Him rule your life. He is God, after all.

Today's Bible reading plan:

A daily devotional through the recorded words Jesus spoke while He walked alongside us. Our website http://alittlewalkwithgod.com.

Today's Scripture Focus

Luke 10:2-9

devotional summary

Who will go? Who will dare to just talk to their neighbor or a friend or a co-worker or a teacher or anyone about the God who saves? What does it cost to just share your testimony about the change God made in your life? It might cost little or it might cost a lot, but the point is, it is our mission. Jesus commands us to go make disciples. To be His witnesses at home and abroad. He commands us to be those harvesters and tell others about the plan God has for His children.

Jesus says go out without any concern for what you’ll eat or where you’ll sleep or what you’ll wear. I think He says just go share your testimony. That tells me that sometimes we will share our testimony at home where we already have the food we need and a bed to sleep in. It tells me it doesn’t matter what we wear when we share His message. We might be dressed up to go out for dinner or we might be in our workout clothes at the gym or we might be in filthy jeans and a t-shirt cutting the grass. But wherever we are and whenever we have a chance we should be ready and willing to take every opportunity to share our testimony to someone who needs to hear it.

Remember, 50% of the people in the United States claim to have no religious affiliation. That means if you do, there is a good chance the person you are talking to might not. You have an opportunity to do something really incredible by just telling someone your story. You might make them understand that God is real and wants to bring all of us into His kingdom if we will just turn to Him.

Today's Bible reading plan:

A daily devotional through the recorded words Jesus spoke while He walked alongside us. Our website http://alittlewalkwithgod.com.

Today's Scripture Focus

Luke 10:2-9

devotional summary

Who will go? Who will dare to just talk to their neighbor or a friend or a co-worker or a teacher or anyone about the God who saves? What does it cost to just share your testimony about the change God made in your life? It might cost little or it might cost a lot, but the point is, it is our mission. Jesus commands us to go make disciples. To be His witnesses at home and abroad. He commands us to be those harvesters and tell others about the plan God has for His children.

Jesus says go out without any concern for what you’ll eat or where you’ll sleep or what you’ll wear. I think He says just go share your testimony. That tells me that sometimes we will share our testimony at home where we already have the food we need and a bed to sleep in. It tells me it doesn’t matter what we wear when we share His message. We might be dressed up to go out for dinner or we might be in our workout clothes at the gym or we might be in filthy jeans and a t-shirt cutting the grass. But wherever we are and whenever we have a chance we should be ready and willing to take every opportunity to share our testimony to someone who needs to hear it.

Remember, 50% of the people in the United States claim to have no religious affiliation. That means if you do, there is a good chance the person you are talking to might not. You have an opportunity to do something really incredible by just telling someone your story. You might make them understand that God is real and wants to bring all of us into His kingdom if we will just turn to Him.

Today's Bible reading plan:

A daily devotional through the recorded words Jesus spoke while He walked alongside us. Our website http://alittlewalkwithgod.com.

Today's Scripture Focus

Luke 9:58-62

devotional summary

We can’t let the things of this world distract us if we expect to carry out God’s work the way He wants us to, even good things. Because the good things will keep us from the best things God has for us. So Jesus uses these examples to show us we must keep focused on the work at hand. Stay in the zone. Don’t lose sight of the goal.

So what is it God has asked you to do? Are you doing it? Are you focused fully on His work? Have you let things around you distract you from what God would have you do? Have you taken your eyes off the goal? Have you let good things distract you from the better things for the best things God has in store for you?

Jesus says put those things aside. Follow Him with such intense focus that all those things disappear from view. Put those things aside so that the only voice you hear and the only face you see are His. When you do, you will be amaze at what you accomplish for Him.

How do you get in the zone with Him? Just listen to His voice and follow His directions, He’ll help you stay there if you let Him.